Dahlias - Planting and growing

Dahlias are a gorgeous eye catcher in a garden and do not need a lot of care. The ornamental plant can be pricked in from the beginning of May, depending on the weather.

The blooming time of dahlias is from summer to autumn. The plant does not need much – except from a good place that should be wind-protected, sunny and free of waterlogging. The flowers can be planted from early May when no more frost is expected. If you have found the perfect place, dig a hole of about 10 centimetres. Fill in a handful of horn chips as fertilizer, and place the dahlia bulb in the hole.

Dahlias do not need a lot of watering. However, regularly cut off faded dahlia blossoms with their complete stem at the next branch fork. This way, the plant can always build new blossoms.

In autumn, before the first frosts are expected, cut the dahlia bushes back to 10 to 15 centimetres above the ground. Afterwards, dig out what is left and and let it dry. Once this is done, store the bulb in a cool and dark room. If you have to store several dahlias, you should store them side by side and not one above the other.

In the next year, after the late spring frosts, the dahlia bulbs can be replanted into the garden as described above. You also can plant dahlias in a flower pot. The bucket should not be too small. Make sure that the dahlia bulbs are not soaked or over-watered. You can prevent this by building a drainage at the bottom of the pot. The drainage layer should be 3-4 centimetres high and can be built by using expanded clay, potsherds or pebble stones.